She's So Mean
by HauntedMoonlight
Summary: She's Katniss Everdeen. He's Peeta Mellark. Add some espionage, teen angst, and cold-hearted stubbornness and you've got a recipe for disaster. Disaster's never tasted this good.
1. Katniss Everdeen

**A/N: **My first non-anime FanFic! I was inspired to write this because of my blossoming love of KatnissxPeeta. And seriously, who could resist a name like PeeNiss?

**Title**: She's So Mean*

*(The Matchbox 20 song with this title is awesome. Also, their song **Unwell** completely describes Peeta in Mockingjay, when he was hi-jacked. I recommend you listen to them!)

**Summary: **She's Katniss Everdeen. He's Peeta Mellark. Add some espionage, teen angst, and cold-hearted stubbornness and you've got the recipe for disaster. Disaster's never tasted this good.

**Rating:** T for now. If I decide to bump it up to M, I'll let you know.

**Pairing(s):** PeetaxKatniss, PrimxOC

**Warnings/Notes: **Changes the Mellark family around; OC of Peeta's younger brother; no mentions of Gale for now; non-canon

**Disclaimer: **THG belongs to Suzanne Collins. This is purely a work of fiction.

_Read and Review!_

* * *

"i...I like you!"

Katniss Everdeen raised an impassive eyebrow. "I like myself too. Your point is...?"

The rapidly reddening boy standing in front of her was her classmate, as far as she knew. Rand what's-his-name. A classmate that had unceremoniously belayed a rather harried 'confession' of sorts upon her.

A confession she had no intention of accepting.

"Are you done, or?"

By now, the poor boy was all but a muddled pile of goo. He nodded meekly, and she took it as her cue to spin around and walk away. Prim was waiting to be picked up, her mother needed her to help with the cooking, and she had no such time for silly matters like that of dating and love.

The middle school section was separated from the high school section of the Twelfth District Schooling Compound by a small band of trees and a dirt trail. It was along this trail that Katniss was now hurrying, anxious to get to Prim and begin their walk home. All thoughts of the boy she'd left heartbroken in her wake were forgotten.

"Prim!" She called, emerging from the path and spotting her cute-as-a-button sister. "Are you okay? Sorry I'm late, there was a minor inconvenience."

"I'm fine," Prim reassured her elder sister with a calm, collected smile.

Katniss blinked, noticing the young, handsome boy beside Prim. "Who's this?"

"Hm? Oh, this is Bryan."

"Nice to meet you, Bryan," Katniss smiled and put out a hand. Her eyes hardened ever-so-slightly as she evaluated the grinning boy-she and Prim would have a loooong talk when they got home.

"Likewise," Bryan shook the proffered hand with a surprisingly firm grip. "Prim tells me a lot about you."

Another small, pinched smile. "I'm sure she does. C'mon, Prim, let's go."

Katniss quickly stepped away. Behind her, Prim waved to Bryan and trotted over to her sister. "Coming!"

-oOoOo-

"So," Katniss said conversationally, her eyes never leaving the small bunch of veggies she was running under the tap. "Bryan, huh?"

Prim looked up from the small salad she was tossing. "Bryan Mellark. He's new."

"That's why I haven't seen him around." Katniss muttered, more for her own benefit than for Prim's. She couldn't have suspicious strangers around her little sis, after all. Oh, the perils of being a responsible (read: overprotective) older sister.

"He has a brother," Prim plucked a stray lettuce leaf and slowly chewed it. "His name's Peeta."

"Weird name. Haven't seen _him _yet."

"Well, yeah. He stayed home today to help set up the bakery. His parents are the new bakers," she explained. The old bakers had disappeared one night and never came back. Later, it was said that the government was after them, but most of it was hearsay and gossip, as far as Katniss was concerned.

"Oh."

Prim ignored her sister's dismissive tone. "He's the same age as you, sixteen. So you two will be in the same class, just like me and Bryan."

"Whoop-de-doo," Katniss muttered darkly. She could already picture this Peeta: tall, handsome, clean-cut, athletic, stuck up... Damn her small, crappy school for having only one class per grade level. If she was lucky, maybe she could survive the year without bumping into Mr. Perfect.

"By the way, I've invited them over for dinner."

"...You _what_?"

"I invited them over for dinner," Prim calmly repeated.

"_Tonight_?"

"Tomorrow."

Katniss spluttered indignantly for a moment before finally regaining coherent speech. "Prim, how could you?"

"Kat, you're just mad 'cause now you can't avoid Bryan and Peeta forever."

"Am not." She flushed. Somehow, Prim always saw through her.

"_Sure_."

Katniss frowned. "I'm not trying to avoid them. I just prefer being alone." _That way, no one can hurt you but yourself_.

Before Prim could retaliate with an '_Oh really_,' their mother walked in. "Hi Katniss, Prim. Thanks for starting dinner, dears. I just finished dealing with a patient who was completely convinced he was dying of a broken heart."

Katniss snorted under her breath. The best way to avoid a broken heart? Don't give out your heart in the first place.

As if anticipating her older sister's oncoming ridicule, Prim quickly butted in. "Er...why don't you sit down, Mother? I'm done with the salad, and the soup should be out in a minute."

"Thank you." Their mother gratefully sunk into an old wooden chair.

"By the way... Has Prim told you about her plans for tomorrow night?" Katniss sneered.

"About the Mellarks coming over? Of course," the older woman answered. "Is there a problem?"

"There's not enough food."

"Greasy Sae's having a great deal on meat this week. Buy two pork chops, get the third free."

"We don't have the money, Mother."

"The broken-hearted patient tips well. We have fifty dollars to splurge, Katniss."

"Well, this table won't fit us all," she protested weakly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prim grinning like the Cheshire cat as she stirred the brewing soup.

"This seats six; there's us three and Bryan, Peeta, and Mr. Mellark. Mrs. Mellark isn't feeling well after their long trip, so she'll be excusing herself."

"More like she's too stuck up to eat with poor people," Prim muttered. Mrs. Everdeen shot a reprimanding glare at her younger daughter, before glancing back at Katniss.

"Katniss, it'd mean a lot if you came. I mean it. Please."

Katniss just sighed.

-oOoOo-

"I heard she rejected _another_ guy."

"Seriously? That's the sixth this month!"

"What do they even see in her? She always dresses like a slob."

"I know, it's disgusting. Just because her face is a little pretty, now she's getting all cocky."

"Whatever, she's a bitch anyways."

"So true. Oh by the way, did you hear about the new guy?"

"That Peeta guy, right? He's hot!"

"Yeah, totally."

Katniss sighed as she tried to tune out the two girls chatting loudly in front of her. It was hard; their obnoxiously high-pitched falsettos made her head start to pound. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, two peas in a pod. With a sigh of defeat, she stood up and walked out, not bothering to observe the look of mean-spirited satisfaction on the girls' faces as they watched her retreat. School had yet to start, and the outer courtyard was often empty at this time in the mornings.

She sat under the huge, ancient oak tree. It was her favorite spot in the entire school. She loved sitting there, watching the leaves waver in the wind, contemplating matters that had nothing to do with anything. And sometimes, just sometimes, she would sing.

Today was not one of those days.

"Agh. Dinner tonight," she thought out loud disgustedly. What she would give to skip that dinner. "Stupid Mellarks and their stupid stuck-up mother and fancy house and perfect everything." She ranted at the crisp, golden leaves. "And we have to _eat_ with them. Great."

"...My life's not as good as you think, actually." A soft voice piped up.

Katniss spun around. Sure enough, it was a tall, handsome, clean-cut guy. The fact that he perfectly matched her imaginative stereotype wasn't even the worst thing; the worst thing was that _he'd heard her_. She was so getting into deep shit with Prim.

She hated apologizing (especially to this guy), but hated Prim's look of disappointment even more. "Listen, sorry for sayi-"

"No, please don't. I agree; my mother is rather stuck-up and our new house is overly lavish. As for being perfect-I'll get back to you on that."

Katniss flushed. Was he making fun of her? On second inspection, his eyes seemed perfectly clear and honest. Weird. "Sorry."

His returning smile was sweet. Too sweet. Katniss instinctively didn't trust it. She _couldn't_ trust it. "I don't want to go to dinner much anyways. Why not show me around town?"

"Excuse me?"

"Show me around town," he repeated. "That way, you get to skip an awkward dinner and I get to see the local sights."

"Believe me, in District 12, there _are _no sights," she warned. It was true; District 12 was half the size of the next smallest district, and was basically filled with coal anyways.

His smile didn't waver. "No problem. Entertain me."

"Is that a challenge?" She asked, intrigued.

"If you want it to be," he replied smoothly. He held out a hand. "I'm Peeta Mellark."

Katniss ignored his hand, instead looking straight into his deep cerulean eyes. "Katniss Everdeen. See you tonight, Peeta Mellark."

Slowly, his hand fell, and he was left staring at her rapidly retreated back.

_Katniss Everdeen._

* * *

**A/N: **Hope it was okay haha. Like I said, I usually write for a different category and fan base, so some of my facts might be off.

As you've probably guessed, this isn't canon. The setting and time's the same, but characters (like Gale) have been removed and things have been switched around a little. Katniss doesn't hunt, for one thing.

I'm trying not to make it a cliche high school loner-girl meets popular-guy thing. I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions-they can only improve my writing!

Please review!

Thank you,

~**Haunted**_Moonlight_~


	2. The Mines Part 1

**A/N: **I always find chapter 2 so much harder to write than chapter 1... So forgive me for any errors :)

I won't give any specific spoilers, but I assure you that there will be Haymitch and Finnick and a few other tributes- except that they're not tributes anymore, obviously. But they will be here!

THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT REViEWED/FAVORITED/ALERTED. It means a lot to me!

**Disclaimer: **THG belongs to Suzanne Collins. This is purely a work of fiction.

* * *

"Prim." Katniss emerged from the dirt path that separated the sides of the school, squinting from the glare of the midday sun. "I need to talk to you."

Prim looked curiously from her sister to the grinning guy standing behind Katniss. Nonetheless, she compliantly followed Katniss, leaving Peeta standing alone a few feet away. "What's wrong, Kat?"

"I'm not going to dinner." At Prim's disapproving frown, she corrected herself. "I'm not going to dinner, but I'm showing Peeta around," Katniss said, glancing pointed at the nearby boy.

Her younger sister's expression immediately changed to one of happiness. "Oh, how nice, Kat! You two are already becoming friends! I'll tell Mom. See you guys later!"

"Don't be silly, Prim." It was Katniss's turn to frown. "I have to walk you home. It's dangerous to go alone."

"Bryan's walking me," she replied. "I'm just waiting for him."

Bryan again. A look of distaste crossed Katniss's face. Oh well, as long as Prim was happy... "Fine. Be careful, though. Bye, Prim."

"Bye, Kat! Have fun!"

Katniss was still frowning when she walked back to Peeta.

"Are you okay, Kat?" She winced at his use of Prim's nickname for her. Apparently, Peeta had heard some of their conversation. Not that she cared.

"It's _Katniss_," she emphasized. Screw him and his over-the-limits friendliness. "I'm fine. Just follow me."

"But-"

"You want to be shown around or not?" Not that she had any intention of showing him around. She had planned it all out as she dozed off during arithmetic: she would take him to the Square, the city's huge marketplace, and quickly be swept away by the crowd. No harm, no foul. He'd manage to find his way home, or not.

Peeta nodded, oblivious to her scheming. "Lead the way."

He trailed behind her, a terse silence surrounding them. Just as she knew he would, he awkwardly broke the quiet. "So, uh, you have quite the reputation."

Silence. Katniss picked up her pace a little. To her dismay, he, too, sped up.

"Not that it's a bad thing, of course. They're just jealous."

_You didn't seem to think they were jealous when they swarmed around you at break time, _she thought.

"It's not your fault. You're really pretty and nice, so naturally the guys end up falling for you."

_Give me a break and lose the Romeo act._

"You seem kind of quiet, though. Maybe you can eat lunch with me tomorrow," he offered. "If they got to know you better, then maybe you'd make some frien-"

"Look," she spun around, her face inches from his. He flinched, startled. "What I do is none of your business. How I act is none of your business. I don't know you, nor do I _want _to get to know you. So just shut up and we can get this over with, alright?" He nodded, and they continued on.

"You weren't like this before," he murmured again.

"...What?" Before? Katniss gritted her teeth in frustration. Couldn't he just zip up his mouth and throw away the key?

"We were childhood friends, remember?" He took her silence as a good thing and eagerly continued to speak. "We used to play together all the time. I remember we had a guy that would look after us as our parents worked. The two of us would always pull pranks on him. Then one day I had to move away. Remember how we were so sad? We-"

"That's enough." She interrupted.

"Do you remember?" He asked hopefully.

Her back was still to him, so he couldn't see the way her eyes wavered and how she dug her nails into her own arms. "...No."

"Oh," he said softly. "Oh."

He didn't speak again for the rest of the trip to the Square. At least, not until they got there. It was just before dinnertime, so the crowds were larger than usual, packs of people that wandered around, buying dinner and what not.

"Where's this?" He surveyed the crowd.

Katniss moved forward, just as the horde of people surged towards their direction, baited by a special deal for wild meatooms, mushrooms that tasted so much like real beef, it was hard to differentiate. "Try to keep up." _Or not, _she thought smugly. She navigated her way through the sea of hungry villagers. If he called for her to slow down, she didn't hear. The commotion was just too overwhelming.

She finally emerged from the tight-packed crowd and quickly set on her way.

"-Wait!"

It couldn't be.

"Kat...I mean, Katniss! Wait for me!"

Katniss had no choice but to pause and allow the blonde boy to catch up. "How did you get here?" She snapped.

He stepped closer, and she stiffened as he reached towards her and tucked a stray lock of dark chocolate hair behind her ear. "Followed you," he replied simply. As if noticing her discomfort, he took a step back. She let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "I'd follow you anywhere." The words chilled her, but she shook the feelings away.

"Whatever." She turned around once again, aware of his eyes on her. Self-consciousness didn't come naturally to her, so she was taken off-guard by how she suddenly realized how stringy her hair way, how ugly her clothes were, and how dirty her fingernails were.

"Where are we going now?"

"Where are we going?" She echoed. "The mines."

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**A/N: **This chapter initially was longer, but I decided to split it up into 2 chapters for simplicity's sake.

Once again, thanks to everyone who even took the time to read, and a special thanks for the reviewers. You guys make my day!

Thank you!

~**Haunted**_Moonlight_~


	3. The Mines Part 2

**A/N: **This is like the continuation of chapter 2. Sorry for the somewhat slow update :(

ENJOY.

**Disclaimer: **THG doesn't belong to me; this will not be used for profit anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

* * *

"The mines," he echoed dumbly, and with good reason. Everyone high and low, from District 1 to District 11 (except for the Capitol, but they were all just a bunch of ignorant drama queens, Katniss surmised), had heard of the infamous mines of the 12th District. The mines that had mercilessly taken the lives of hundreds of thousands over the years. It was said that once you stepped in, you never stepped out. Katniss's father had learned that firsthand eight years ago, and even now, it still stung, a constant ache in her heart and a scar that would never disappear. "I-Is it safe?"

"For the most part," she said wryly.

Peeta hesitated.

"Of course, if you're scared..."

"I'm not," he protested. "I'm not."

Still, Katniss waited. Until finally, he looked at her confidently, though not without traces of fear in his deep blue eyes. One would have to be a fool, or crazy, to look into the mouth of the mines without fear.

Peeta grinned uneasily. "Lead the way."

-oOoOo-

By the time they reached the rotting wooden sign that read '_The Mines. Enter at your own risk,'_ Katniss's feet were raw and sore. From the way Peeta grimaced with every step he took, she guessed the same of him. It seemed like even his fancy, new shoes couldn't withstand the rocky terrain that surrounded the gaping entrance to the caves.

"So...this is it." It was phrased as a statement, but it carried a questioning tone. Katniss nodded.

"You should know. Since you used to live here and all."

Peeta ignored her mocking tone. "Are we going in or what?"

"You...want to go _in?_" She frowned. Ever since the new, safer mines ad opened across town, no one ventured into The Mines anymore.

"Why not?" He shrugged. "Unless you're, you know, _scared_..."

Katniss's eyes narrowed. "Gentlemen first." She stepped aside and let Peeta stride into the mines first.

The inside was dark, pitch black. Their only source of light was the sunlight from the cave entrance behind them- a light source that slowly began to diminish as they forayed further and further into the huge tunnel.

"See, nothing scary." Katniss exclaimed loudly. Tendrils of echoes resonated around her. "Still, we should leave before-"

"_Shh_."

"What?"

"Over there," Peeta hissed. Katniss stiffened and squinted into the passage of darkness ahead of them. Slowly, her eyes began to adjust and she caught sight of the smallest ray of light.

"What is that?" She whispered urgently. Sure, there were bound to be homeless people and squatters around, but for one to actually go so deep into the mines... Surely, no one was _that_ foolish.

"Maybe a will o' the wisp," Peeta said, but his tone was unconvinced. The legends of the will o' the wisps had all to do with unfortunate travelers getting lost on mountain paths and forest trails, and nothing to do with a pair of teens adventuring in a deserted mine. Plus, Katniss noticed, the light wasn't moving. No, this light was no optical illusion. It was something _real._

"Let's check it out," she proposed.

"Are you crazy?" Even in the relative darkness, Katniss saw Peeta's blue eyes flash. "It could be anyone! He could have a knife or a gun or...or..."

"Or he could just be some poor guy who has nowhere else to go." Katniss replied calmly. _At least...that's what I hope._ "Let's just see who it is, Peeta. C'mon."

He frowned.

"You wouldn't make me go alone, would you?"

"Of course not! Let's go...but stay behind me."

Katniss smiled secretively as she trailed behind him. The guilt card always worked, especially with guys who fancied themselves to be knights in shining armor.

Very slowly, the light began growing in both size and illumination. Katniss had no idea it was that far ahead...it had looked closer from afar. After an eternity of tip-toeing and avoiding stepping on loud, crack-able remnants of coal, Peeta suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Katniss screeched to a stop behind him.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Nothing...it's just... It doesn't look like there's anyone there, Katniss."

Katniss scoffed. "Then who lit that lamp or fire or whatever it is up ahead? The boogeyman? Get real. It's just up ahead. Let's at least see what it is, then we can leave."

"Fine." Peeta agreed reluctantly. "But we leave as soon as we're close enough to see what- or who- it is. Okay?"

"Okay, deal," Katniss smiled innocently.

Peeta frowned at her suspiciously before once again taking the lead. Katniss didn't mind; she'd never admit it, but the darkness was rather unnerving. The thought of her father walking through the very same tunnel on the day of the fatal accident that took his life scared her.

Now the light was steadily growing, and eerie shadows formed by random formations of rocks and miscellaneous abandoned tools surround the twosome. Katniss squinted. "Peeta... I don't think anyone's there." Her voice was tinged with both disappointment and relief.

"Yeah, but we're almost there. Might as well see it for ourselves, since no one else is here," he rationalized, his approach completely hypocritical of his previous stance. But Katniss didn't mind, as she too was still infested with curiosity.

After another quiet eternity of walking, they finally arrived at the source of the mysterious light. Up close, it didn't seem as large as it'd felt from afar; it was rather lightbulb-ish. But that was just the thing... _They didn't know what it was. _

Peeta cautiously pulled his sleeve over his hand and gingerly touched the lighted object. Almost immediately, the light turned brighter than Katniss thought possible and began pulsating violently. Peeta jerked back and retreated a few feet, and Katniss followed his lead. "W-Wha..."

"I knew this was a bad idea," he grumbled harshly. Katniss rolled her eyes, but she still got a weird feeling from the dizzying pulsations and strange shadows dancing along the bleak walls.

"C'mon, let's go." She called urgently. Peeta looked in no mood to argue.

"Halt."

They froze.

"Who goes there?" A voice. It was the deep, raspy, hollow voice of a vagrant, yet it sounded...different. And vaguely familiar.

Katniss wanted to run, but her legs didn't seem to want to obey.

"I said, who goes there?" The disembodied voice was coming closer now, and if she listened closely, she could hear heavy footsteps reverberating through the ground and a _clink clink clink _of glass on glass.

Next to her, Peeta unsteadily rocked on his heel. "Peeta Mellark and..."

"Katniss Everdeen."

A pregnant pause expanded, until the silence felt suffocating. Katniss vaguely realized that the footsteps that stopped behind her, but didn't dare turn around. _I wonder what Prim will do if I don't come home... _

"Peeta and Katniss, huh?" The voice snarled, before it suddenly changed to a more playful tone. "Well, why didn't ya say so? Turn around and give me a hug."

Katniss blinked.

She didn't know what she expected. To be mugged, surely. Maybe even beaten or assaulted or killed. The horror stories from all around the poorer districts were plenty, and details were candid. All she knew, though, was that she wasn't in danger, surely. And that was enough to warrant turning around. Peeta seemed to follow the same reasoning, and both spun around within seconds of each other.

Once again, she wasn't quite sure of her expectations, and once again, they didn't match up. She had been thinking of a lean man in dirt-matted clothes or the like. What she got, on the other hand, was a burly man of 30-something, though he looked aged beyond his years. His clothes were better than predicted, as well- they were clean, looked soft, and there wasn't a button out of place. In his hands were two glass bottles, both semi-filled with a clear liquid. Even from a respectable distance, Katniss could smell the sharp sting of alcohol.

But that wasn't what got her.

What got her was the image that suddenly invaded her head, the image of a tall, dark-haired, mildly handsome young man. A young man that she had known as a girl. What was it that Peeta had said? '_I remember we had a guy that would look after us as our parents worked..._' It couldn't be.

Peeta beat her to it.

"Haymitch," he breathed, his face as disbelieving as Katniss felt inside.

Haymitch just smiled.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay for Haymitch! :D

Somehow, he's one of my favorite characters, next to Finnick, Cinna, and Peeta. I love the way he pisses off Effie. It's just hilarious.

Please review, they make me happy.

Thank you!

~**Haunted**_Moonlight_~


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